MISSING GARY GIRL`S BODY FOUND

The body of a 12-year-old Gary girl who vanished Sept. 22 has been found in a shallow grave near her home, police said Wednesday.

Linda Perez disappeared after leaving home for a church meeting. She never reached the church.

The girl was the object of an intensive search in the days after her disappearance. Police said they believe the body was buried after the search, because the grave was close enough to the home that search dogs would have found it.

In the weeks since Linda disappeared, a fire has driven the Perez family from their house at 3917 Fillmore St. Police said the girl`s mother is living with relatives elsewhere in Gary, and her father is believed to be in Puerto Rico.

Spokesman William Burns of the Gary Police Department said officers got a phone call Tuesday from a resident of the Fillmore Street area who reported that a foot was protruding from the ground.

Police uncovered the decomposed body of a girl, wearing the clothing Linda wore when she disappeared. Dental records confirmed her identity, police said.

The body was sent to a laboratory in Indianapolis, where authorities will try to determine the cause of death.

Police are convinced that the girl was abducted and killed, but no suspects are in custody.

After Linda vanished, the area near her house was searched unsuccessfully by Gary police, Lake County (Ind.) sheriff`s police and Civil Defense workers from Gary and Calumet Township.